Justification:Acanthistius brasilianus has been assessed as Data Deficient. This species is known from only nine specimens. It is not currently known if this species is being impacted by any major threats, therefore more work into the ecology, biology, population size and trends is needed before a more accurate threat assessment can be made.

Acanthistius brasilianus is only known from nine specimens. Irigoyen et al. (2008) noted that this was an uncommon species occurring in Brazilian waters from Bahia to Sao Paulo. It is observed rarely on rocky bottoms.

The seabass Acanthistius brasilianus is a benthopelagic species that has a depth range of 15 to 60m. It has been observed over rocky reefs near offshore islands and outcrops (Irigoyen et al. 2008). The main food items of this species include fishes, crustaceans, molluscs and worms (Irigoyen et al. 2008).

This is a rare species. It is not found in areas in which trawling occurs (Heemstra pers. comm.). It is not known if this species is being impacted by any major threats but the species could be experiencing negative effects from coastal pollution and development.

There are no known species-specific conservation measures in place for Acanthistius brasilianus, however its distribution may cover a number of marine protected areas. Further research on population trends and potential threats is needed.